Wolfgang Schewe and the Boutique Hotel Nixe on Rügen

From engineer and ice pioneer to Binz's successful hotelier

Published: March 18, 2025

Wolfgang Schewe stands on the roof of the Hotel am Meer on the island of Rügen and looks out over the Baltic Sea.

A summer morning on the beach promenade, a breeze is blowing across the Baltic Sea, mice are squawking and Wolfgang Schewe is walking to work at the Hotel Am Meer. It is his hotel. He opened it in 1995, even though he was an engineer, not a hotelier, and earned his money as an ice cream wholesaler. Nevertheless, he invested in a hotel. Because Schewe had understood one thing: In pioneering times, you can't be timid. You have to follow your gut instinct.

Wolfgang Schewe with daughter Johanna in the restaurant of the Hotel am Meer with a coffee and both laughing.

Wolfgang Schewe and the next generation

His gut feeling and the development

It was a big project, with 60 rooms, and Schewe says that he slept badly at the time. Deep down, however, he always knew that he would make it. And at the latest when he saw how the first guests felt, it was finally clear to him: he was on the right track.

A room from the inside at the Hotel am Meer in Binz - bed, seating with a view of the promenade

For the good and the beautiful

View into the rooms of the "Hotel Am Meer"

Schewe was and is passionate about his work. Sometimes, during a conversation, he literally runs his fingers over the tabletop, as if something inside him is delighted by the fine grain of the wood.

He always had a special sense for spaces, furniture and materials. But then he graduated in engineering, left the former GDR for political reasons and only returned to his home island of Rügen in 1990.

Fisherman's beach next to the village of Binz on Rügen with plants and stones - the view of the water
The hotelier loves the quiet corners of Binz. The fishing beach for example
The "Nixe" house nestles romantically behind the dune grass in Binz at sunset.
The "Nixe" ducks romantically behind the dune grass in Binz.
The beach and promenade of Binz from the air with the pier and part of the Baltic Sea at sunrise
Unmissably beautiful, the beach and the promenade with the Binzer pier on Rügen

In Binz, Schewe opened a second hotel in 2018: the Boutique Hotel Nixe with a fine spa and first-class restaurant, which he opened in a listed Art Nouveau villa. It is located where the white Binzer Bäder architecture shines brightest: on the beach promenade. Wolfgang Schewe likes the beach promenade, but also the quiet corners of Binz. The fishing beach. The beech forest that begins there and stretches up the coast. But his favorite place is the Blue Moon Lounge, right at the top of the „Hotel Am Meer“, a place for looking outwards and inwards. Just as it should be for a pioneer.

Worth seeing

in Binz on Rügen

32 results

  • Hotel entrance // © DSR Hotel Holding

    A-ROSA Hotel Ceres by the Sea - Adults Only

    • Strandpromenade, 18609 Binz

    This design hotel impresses with its fantastic location right by the sea on the Island of Rügen, not far from the Binz pier, and offers stylish wellness facilities and panoramic views from almost every room.

    Read more: "A-ROSA Hotel Ceres by the Sea - Adults Only"
  • © MV-T/Gohlke

    Pier Binz

    • 18609 Binz

    The Binz pier on the Island of Rügen, with a length of 370 meters, is the second longest pier on Rügen after the Sellin pier.

    Read more: "Pier Binz"
  • Das Loev Hotel Rügen befindet sich zentral im Ortskern von Binz, 50m vom Strand entfernt. // © Loev Hotel Rügen, Mirko Boy, Hadiko Creativ Media

    Loev Brasserie & Bar

    • Hauptstraße, 18609 Binz

    The Brasserie & Bar at the Loev Hotel Rügen is located directly on the main promenade of Binz, only 50m from the pier. Excellent cuisine, high-quality wines and spirits as well as delicious cocktails can be enjoyed here in a relaxed atmosphere. Live music evenings and SKY TV sports broadcasts can be experienced in the Loev Bar.

    Read more: "Loev Brasserie & Bar"
  • Ansicht Gästehaus Astrids Strandmuschel // © Bernhard Franke

    Guest House Astrids Beach Shell

    • Margaretenstr., 18609 Binz

    It is a cozy, small, well-kept guesthouse, located behind the Hotel Villa Schwanebeck with small and friendly rooms, ideal as a single or very affordable double room.

    Read more: "Guest House Astrids Beach Shell"
  • Rezeption // © Ralf Haug

    freestyle

    • Zeppelinstraße, 18609 Binz

    Boutique hotel in Binz on Rügen, 21 rooms, starred restaurant, wellness area, 300m to the sea.

    Read more: "freestyle"
  • Imperial

    • Strandpromenade, 18609 Ostseebad Binz

    Your family-run hotel to make you feel at home. Furnished in the tasteful style of resort architecture - right by the sea - in a central yet quiet location.

    Read more: "Imperial"
  • Appartementhaus Villa Jagdschloss // © Pflug Julian

    Villa Hunting Lodge

    • Putbuser Str., 18609 Ostseebad Binz

    Family-run apartment villa in a quiet, top location. The lovingly furnished apartments are first-class equipped and offer pure relaxation.

    Read more: "Villa Hunting Lodge"
  • © MV-T/Tiemann

    Hotel Four Seasons Binz

    • Zeppelinstraße, 18609 Binz

    The most important data at a glance: 76 hotel rooms and suites, 42 apartments- centrally located in the historic center of Binz, only 100 meters to the beach, three restaurants (one of which is a star restaurant), terrace cafe & hotel bar, 710 sqm wellness: swimming pool, sauna area, beauty and fitness area.

    Read more: "Hotel Four Seasons Binz"
  • Direkt am kilometerlangen Binzer Sandstrand. Genießen Sie das Rauschen des Meeres und verbringen Sie einen Urlaub in bester Lage. // © Rugard Strandhotel

    Rugard Beach Hotel

    • Strandpromenade, 18609 Binz

    Your first-class private hotel directly on the beach promenade in the Baltic resort of Binz offers the highest comfort, the most pleasant atmosphere and top service.

    Read more: "Rugard Beach Hotel"
  • Außenansicht mit Terrasse // © Strandhotel zur Promenade

    Beach Hotel on the Promenade

    • Strandpromenade, 18609 Binz

    Strandhotel zur Promenade & Restaurant Filou am Meer – A Vacation Right on the Baltic Sea

    Read more: "Beach Hotel on the Promenade"
  • Jagdschlossexpress + Binz Spa Railway

    • Rondell an der Seebrücke, 18609 Binz

    Welcome to the Jagdschlossexpress in the Baltic resort Binz on the Island of Rügen.

    Read more: "Jagdschlossexpress + Binz Spa Railway"
  • Aussenansicht // © nymphe strandhotel & apartments GmbH & Co. KG

    nymph beach hotel & apartments

    • Strandpromenade, 18609 Ostseebad Binz

    Visit the nymphe strandhotel & apartments in the Baltic resort Binz and spend relaxing days with bathing romance and the sound of the sea. On the seemingly endless sandy beach, you can brush off everyday life with a fresh Baltic Sea breeze.

    Read more: "nymph beach hotel & apartments"
  • Exterior view of the Granitzhaus // © Bildarchiv Biosphärenreservatsamt-Südost-Rügen

    The “Granitzhaus“ and exhibition

    • Open today
    • Jagdschloss Granitz, 18609 Binz

    Since 2004, the former forester’s and guest house of the “Fürsten zu Putbus“ houses a visitor centre about the UNESCO biosphere reserve “Südost-Rügen“.

    Read more: "The “Granitzhaus“ and exhibition"
  • Kurplatz Binz mit Veranstaltung // © Tourismuszentrale Rügen

    Spa square Binz

    • Strandpromenade, 18609 Ostseebad Binz

    The spa square in Binz - the center of the Binz beach promenade.

    Read more: "Spa square Binz"
  • Herzlich Willkommen im Hotel meerSinn // © Hotel meerSinn

    Hotel Meersinn

    • Schillerstr., 18609 Ostseebad Binz

    Hotel meerSinn is more than a wellness hotel - in the adjacent health center artepuri® med a team of specialists and therapists is at your disposal with medical services at the highest level.

    Read more: "Hotel Meersinn"

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